Again, I am so, so sorry. I had no idea what forces I was unleashing. I am going to go sacrifice a chicken and see if I can't make things right. (I was hungry for chicken anyway.)
First, wave chicken over a picture of Elon Musk and mutter the appropriate voodoo curse.
Next, place chicken in a large cast iron skillet. Stuff cavity with several sprigs of thyme. Pour a bit of melted butter and a trickle of real maple syrup over the top. Salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for about an hour. Baste every so often as needed.
Even if Lone Skum isn't removed from public life, you'll at least have a really delicious dinner. Make sure to roast some potatoes and veggies with it.
I don't see the name Misha very often but my ex-husband named our daughter that. Since she grew up in El Paso TX and names ending in "a" are feminine - it was never a problem for her. I did and still like the name as it is hers and she wears it well.
Direct from Central Casting. Right down to the dance with the chainsaw and the black hat. Jokes about ebola. You don't have to have had an evangelical upbringing to recognize t
Every bit of what you said was my experience in the evangelical church. I now call them demon chasers. I was even surrounded, more than once, by People of our church trying to cast out demons from me.
I now reside in Oklahoma and have children in public schools. I talk to people all day long and have yet to meet someone who supports Ryan Walters. He is divisive and has done absolutely nothing to bring Oklahoma schools rankings up from 49th in the U.S. it’s so gross how power and politics have become the most important issue for politicians rather than real children and people. If there were a devil, he would surely be at work in those who claim to be the holiest of them all.
That’s the thing about red state legislators. Many don’t want to lift the schools in their states from the bottom. Many legislators in southern, red states are white and send their children to private (former segregation) academies. They like keeping the poor children poorly educated and in poverty. It’s called “reducing taxes on hard working people,” but I think we as a society are beginning to see through this ruse at this point (hopefully)
I worked with a fundamentalist evangelical, whatever he was. He wouldn't allow his kids to go trick or treating because it was devil worship but apparently stealing was okay. He daily took at least 3 kleenex from me, He only brought enough money to work for lunch, and therefore stole coffee without chipping in and on weekends he brought his kids into work and let them steal my girl scout cookies. A co-worker spotted it and spilled the beans.
"She stated that Christians can stretch, but they should never practice yoga."
How many right-wing Christians are worried that if they stretch they might accidentally Do A Yoga and summon a demon? And can we start rumors in southern and midwestern mega-churches about this happening?
More of them are worried than you might think. Seriously! Paranoia and constant watchfulness are values drilled into the children of evangelicals. I remember a pastor once opening a sermon with the statement: "When you are a Christian, you are an enemy to the world." And the "world", both natural and supernatural, will dart in the moment we let down our guard...right? Jeez.
As a deconstructed recovering Catholic, this talk is also very present in many conservative "Trad Cad" Catholic circles as well. Thanks for naming the connection between the GOP and Christian Hegemony and Christian Nationalism.
I think it would be more accurately called Christian Russian KGB Nationalism because I will swear to the gods on every bible and satanic bible (at the same time) that Hought is a Russian agent sent by Putin. I am a bloodhound of Nazis and old school Russian infiltration like that and have been calling it on both since 2016 even though no one listened to me (except my poor husband who has to). That Project 2025 has Putin's scent all over it. It will come out eventually, when some of us are in Siberia probably.
Seriously though, as an undergrad back in the early 90s, I had two semesters of Russian history with the best history professor in the world, Dr. Milton Finley, and during the 2016 election results, I turned to the Hub and said "This is a classic Russian coup de tat." I grew up during the Cold War, so I guess I'm a little sensitive to KGB bullshit.
Great article, Jess. I am a cradle Catholic. Publicly educated K-12, Jesuit (Catholic) university for college. Neither was traumatic for me, but I do currently wrestle with issues, dogma, etc.... with areas of the Catholic church. Not really sure I can call myself Catholic anymore, but I identify as Catholic. Can you say, "I identify as" anymore?!?!?! I know the "unlearning" for me is hard. I'm not sure I need to unlearn anything. But I am trying to reconcile much of what I was taught with what I now currently believe. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I’ve been baptized twice but find organized religion does not follow the teachings in the Bible. After studying Religion I’ve found none of them work for me. I have faith in a higher power, myself and the universe. I practice yoga and meditation, pray for peace and kindness in our world
Same, I did a lot of research about how religions got the stranglehold that they did. I just needed to understand how so many over so many years could follow such crazy doctrine & why it took me so long to detach. Yoga, meditation, loving kindness & being spiritual without religion fills my life.
It’s this sort of thing, IMO that gives religion a bad name and turns people away. Having attended an evangelical Baptist church and being indoctrinated, I want nothing to do with any church which considers itsself “evangelical”. Now in a lovely Methodist church and don’t hear anything about demons or anything else that we do which causes sin, etc. what a crock!
Hindu Gods? Interesting that they admit there are other Gods (at least in their imaginations) which you worship based on the geographic location of your birth. LOLOL
Magicthink, esp. the religious kind is a real threat to progress and the evolution of our minds.
These (un)Christian Nationalists MUST BE stopped by any means necessary.
Magicthink is a good word for it. How else could they think a convicted rapist/fraudster/felon/pedophile and impeached insurrectionist was chosen by God to do his work, (which is what, destroy America? Take from the poor and give to the rich? Criminalize compassion?)
They see whatever they want to see, whatever suits their tortured narrative. I think the definition of that is a cult.
I've done some deprogramming in my life, and Magicthink is the word I often use to cult thinking, whether religious or political. They are tied together by a need for a father figure. It's in the language. "God's children", "Our Father who art in Heaven" or as Donvict's cultists say, "Daddy's home to give you a spanking" etc.
You can find me on Spoutible, if you guys like what I have to say, btw.
"You can't fix cultists with logic and reason. They are emotion-driven. They don't need facts, they need therapy" - Jstn Green
I’m a retired yoga teacher. I was raised Protestant and learned to love Christ as he was portrayed to me as a child: a radical who disobeyed many of the assumptions and customs of his day in favor of a more, dare I say, humanitarian way of being in the world. By walking a godly, compassionate path, I was given to understand, he was able to perform what looked like miracles to us mortals
When I discovered yoga in the mid-70s I wasn’t aware of any connection being taught between yoga & demons. I only knew that many Christian clergy people did frown on yoga and preached that it was bad.
Also, later on, that there was such a thing out there as “Christian” yoga which struck me as odd, since yoga is a philosophy and a practice, not a religion and is embraced by people of all religions
So the memory that came up for me reading your mini-memoir was a conversation I had one day on a city bus. The woman who sat next to me – and I’m not sure how the topic came up in conversation, she started explaining to me that meditation was dangerous because it would make me prey to demons. Yoga in general, but meditation in particular.
She kept warning me, so sincerely.
It felt so odd to be told what my experience would be, when I was the one with the experience and she was repeating something she had heard!
I only knew that the physical postures and yoga breath practices had helped me heal and strengthen an injured, almost disabled lower back. As well, without realizing it at first as I began taking several classes a week, I was recovering emotionally after leaving a violent marriage. As my bearing became more upright and my heart felt less guarded - it felt like being in a state of grace.
And from that place, the ability to cultivate stillness and be compassionate with whatever is going on came naturally
So there’s the dissonance! The dis- / misinformation! For some people spirituality is experienced and enhanced by training body mind and breath, whether in a branch of yoga, Tai Chi or another discipline
For others, there is guidance or something valuable for time in the teachings of spiritual leaders whose words are unquestioned
What I just don’t get is the entitlement that would lead a stranger to tell another stranger how the thing that’s giving them a new life and a new outlook on life is instead dangerous
To me, that’s the crack in the story, the red flag that something is up
Thank you for sharing your story, Carlotta. This statement summed up so much of my Evangelical experience: "It felt so odd to be told what my experience would be, when I was the one with the experience and she was repeating something she had heard!" Except I was the one repeating something I had heard, with the utmost confidence (and true concern for whoever I was speaking to). Getting to meet people on the other side of that conversation and let my guard down enough to truly listen to their perspective is what has helped me to find my way out of fundamentalism.
Thanks Jess you generally have me 😂 at least once per listen….
“. That’s why they confiscated our music tapes to check them…to make sure there was no secular music on them. I was immediately frightened because I had recorded Amy Grant at the beginning and end of my tapes, but I had Van Halen and George Strait and The Steve Miller Band recorded in the middle of my tape.”
ILLUMINATING. Wow, thank you for sharing. It puts a different light on what we see and hear, which now I understand how out of context it is (and dismiss sometimes as fringey crazy stuff).
Important points taken.
As an aside, while not being inclined toward believing in demons, I don't think I could conjure a more convincing one than Elon Musk.
Truth
Dear God, I must have summoned Musk that one time I listened to Black Sabbath! I'M SORRY, WORLD! IT WAS ME!!!!!!
Specifically, it was Ozzy Osbourne's voice. Ronnie James Dio's singing only summons lesser demons, like Perjury Traitor Greene.
Again, I am so, so sorry. I had no idea what forces I was unleashing. I am going to go sacrifice a chicken and see if I can't make things right. (I was hungry for chicken anyway.)
Sacrificial chicken sounds yummy. Will that be fried or baked? If it's fried, I'll stop by. LOLOLOL
My recipe for Anti Fascism Chicken:
First, wave chicken over a picture of Elon Musk and mutter the appropriate voodoo curse.
Next, place chicken in a large cast iron skillet. Stuff cavity with several sprigs of thyme. Pour a bit of melted butter and a trickle of real maple syrup over the top. Salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for about an hour. Baste every so often as needed.
Even if Lone Skum isn't removed from public life, you'll at least have a really delicious dinner. Make sure to roast some potatoes and veggies with it.
That sounds pretty great. I'll have to write out and share my recipe for Space Nazi Stew.
It involves cutting large quantities of random meats and vegetables with a chainsaw, so it's not for everybody. I'm told billionaires love it, though.
Tony Iommi is both British and left handed.Could a band be more devilish 😎
I don't see the name Misha very often but my ex-husband named our daughter that. Since she grew up in El Paso TX and names ending in "a" are feminine - it was never a problem for her. I did and still like the name as it is hers and she wears it well.
There ya go!!! What more "proof" could any good Christian require? LOLOL
Direct from Central Casting. Right down to the dance with the chainsaw and the black hat. Jokes about ebola. You don't have to have had an evangelical upbringing to recognize t
The Joker.
Every bit of what you said was my experience in the evangelical church. I now call them demon chasers. I was even surrounded, more than once, by People of our church trying to cast out demons from me.
I now reside in Oklahoma and have children in public schools. I talk to people all day long and have yet to meet someone who supports Ryan Walters. He is divisive and has done absolutely nothing to bring Oklahoma schools rankings up from 49th in the U.S. it’s so gross how power and politics have become the most important issue for politicians rather than real children and people. If there were a devil, he would surely be at work in those who claim to be the holiest of them all.
That’s the thing about red state legislators. Many don’t want to lift the schools in their states from the bottom. Many legislators in southern, red states are white and send their children to private (former segregation) academies. They like keeping the poor children poorly educated and in poverty. It’s called “reducing taxes on hard working people,” but I think we as a society are beginning to see through this ruse at this point (hopefully)
I worked with a fundamentalist evangelical, whatever he was. He wouldn't allow his kids to go trick or treating because it was devil worship but apparently stealing was okay. He daily took at least 3 kleenex from me, He only brought enough money to work for lunch, and therefore stole coffee without chipping in and on weekends he brought his kids into work and let them steal my girl scout cookies. A co-worker spotted it and spilled the beans.
Amen!
Wow. I had no idea that yoga was demonic! It’s just amazing what hateful ideas can be created and decimated in the name of Christianity. 🤦♀️😢
"She stated that Christians can stretch, but they should never practice yoga."
How many right-wing Christians are worried that if they stretch they might accidentally Do A Yoga and summon a demon? And can we start rumors in southern and midwestern mega-churches about this happening?
More of them are worried than you might think. Seriously! Paranoia and constant watchfulness are values drilled into the children of evangelicals. I remember a pastor once opening a sermon with the statement: "When you are a Christian, you are an enemy to the world." And the "world", both natural and supernatural, will dart in the moment we let down our guard...right? Jeez.
Oh believe me, I know.
wow. I just cant even imagine thinking like this?
Oh friend, that you - a child - had to flee your own home for the relative safety of that place?
Angry for you and sending care.
As a deconstructed recovering Catholic, this talk is also very present in many conservative "Trad Cad" Catholic circles as well. Thanks for naming the connection between the GOP and Christian Hegemony and Christian Nationalism.
Also for those struggling with the deconstruction process in the midst of rising Christian Nationalism:
1) Be gentle with yourselves, you are being brave by just being on your journey
2) If you need sensitive therapeutic and group support I would highly recommend the Reclamation Collective
https://www.reclamationcollective.com/
I think it would be more accurately called Christian Russian KGB Nationalism because I will swear to the gods on every bible and satanic bible (at the same time) that Hought is a Russian agent sent by Putin. I am a bloodhound of Nazis and old school Russian infiltration like that and have been calling it on both since 2016 even though no one listened to me (except my poor husband who has to). That Project 2025 has Putin's scent all over it. It will come out eventually, when some of us are in Siberia probably.
Seriously though, as an undergrad back in the early 90s, I had two semesters of Russian history with the best history professor in the world, Dr. Milton Finley, and during the 2016 election results, I turned to the Hub and said "This is a classic Russian coup de tat." I grew up during the Cold War, so I guess I'm a little sensitive to KGB bullshit.
Ironically, the only demons I see are the ones currently in charge of dismantling our government.
Yuuuuup
So much fear. And if we are filled with fear and not educated we are much easier to control.
Great article, Jess. I am a cradle Catholic. Publicly educated K-12, Jesuit (Catholic) university for college. Neither was traumatic for me, but I do currently wrestle with issues, dogma, etc.... with areas of the Catholic church. Not really sure I can call myself Catholic anymore, but I identify as Catholic. Can you say, "I identify as" anymore?!?!?! I know the "unlearning" for me is hard. I'm not sure I need to unlearn anything. But I am trying to reconcile much of what I was taught with what I now currently believe. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I’ve been baptized twice but find organized religion does not follow the teachings in the Bible. After studying Religion I’ve found none of them work for me. I have faith in a higher power, myself and the universe. I practice yoga and meditation, pray for peace and kindness in our world
Same, I did a lot of research about how religions got the stranglehold that they did. I just needed to understand how so many over so many years could follow such crazy doctrine & why it took me so long to detach. Yoga, meditation, loving kindness & being spiritual without religion fills my life.
Same here!!
It’s this sort of thing, IMO that gives religion a bad name and turns people away. Having attended an evangelical Baptist church and being indoctrinated, I want nothing to do with any church which considers itsself “evangelical”. Now in a lovely Methodist church and don’t hear anything about demons or anything else that we do which causes sin, etc. what a crock!
That’s why I’m always specific about the brand of church I attended
Hindu Gods? Interesting that they admit there are other Gods (at least in their imaginations) which you worship based on the geographic location of your birth. LOLOL
Magicthink, esp. the religious kind is a real threat to progress and the evolution of our minds.
These (un)Christian Nationalists MUST BE stopped by any means necessary.
I agree. Christians believe that there is only one God. How can “other gods” corrupt us if they don’t exist?
"Buh, buh, DEMONS!" Wait a minute... 🤔
Magicthink is a good word for it. How else could they think a convicted rapist/fraudster/felon/pedophile and impeached insurrectionist was chosen by God to do his work, (which is what, destroy America? Take from the poor and give to the rich? Criminalize compassion?)
They see whatever they want to see, whatever suits their tortured narrative. I think the definition of that is a cult.
I've done some deprogramming in my life, and Magicthink is the word I often use to cult thinking, whether religious or political. They are tied together by a need for a father figure. It's in the language. "God's children", "Our Father who art in Heaven" or as Donvict's cultists say, "Daddy's home to give you a spanking" etc.
You can find me on Spoutible, if you guys like what I have to say, btw.
"You can't fix cultists with logic and reason. They are emotion-driven. They don't need facts, they need therapy" - Jstn Green
that is what I can't understand about trumpism. convicted- live it. he is like the antichrist and how they worship him is disgusting.
Jess, this essay really resonates with me.
I’m a retired yoga teacher. I was raised Protestant and learned to love Christ as he was portrayed to me as a child: a radical who disobeyed many of the assumptions and customs of his day in favor of a more, dare I say, humanitarian way of being in the world. By walking a godly, compassionate path, I was given to understand, he was able to perform what looked like miracles to us mortals
When I discovered yoga in the mid-70s I wasn’t aware of any connection being taught between yoga & demons. I only knew that many Christian clergy people did frown on yoga and preached that it was bad.
Also, later on, that there was such a thing out there as “Christian” yoga which struck me as odd, since yoga is a philosophy and a practice, not a religion and is embraced by people of all religions
So the memory that came up for me reading your mini-memoir was a conversation I had one day on a city bus. The woman who sat next to me – and I’m not sure how the topic came up in conversation, she started explaining to me that meditation was dangerous because it would make me prey to demons. Yoga in general, but meditation in particular.
She kept warning me, so sincerely.
It felt so odd to be told what my experience would be, when I was the one with the experience and she was repeating something she had heard!
I only knew that the physical postures and yoga breath practices had helped me heal and strengthen an injured, almost disabled lower back. As well, without realizing it at first as I began taking several classes a week, I was recovering emotionally after leaving a violent marriage. As my bearing became more upright and my heart felt less guarded - it felt like being in a state of grace.
And from that place, the ability to cultivate stillness and be compassionate with whatever is going on came naturally
So there’s the dissonance! The dis- / misinformation! For some people spirituality is experienced and enhanced by training body mind and breath, whether in a branch of yoga, Tai Chi or another discipline
For others, there is guidance or something valuable for time in the teachings of spiritual leaders whose words are unquestioned
What I just don’t get is the entitlement that would lead a stranger to tell another stranger how the thing that’s giving them a new life and a new outlook on life is instead dangerous
To me, that’s the crack in the story, the red flag that something is up
Thank you for sharing your story, Carlotta. This statement summed up so much of my Evangelical experience: "It felt so odd to be told what my experience would be, when I was the one with the experience and she was repeating something she had heard!" Except I was the one repeating something I had heard, with the utmost confidence (and true concern for whoever I was speaking to). Getting to meet people on the other side of that conversation and let my guard down enough to truly listen to their perspective is what has helped me to find my way out of fundamentalism.
Thanks Jess you generally have me 😂 at least once per listen….
“. That’s why they confiscated our music tapes to check them…to make sure there was no secular music on them. I was immediately frightened because I had recorded Amy Grant at the beginning and end of my tapes, but I had Van Halen and George Strait and The Steve Miller Band recorded in the middle of my tape.”
I mean, we all know the connection between the Steve Miller Band and the Devil
😂
😂 keep shining Jess❣️
But most people don't know that Les Paul is Steve Miller's godfather. True story.
But they call him Maurice. 😉
I call for testimony under oath and certified cost and pricing data to underpin promised budget cuts in the $ trillions. This is a reasonable request to a convicted felon. Yoga is okay with me, but rural hospitals will soon be gone, lost due to $833 billion in Medicaid cuts. Farmers are going to lose $230 billion. Rural America dozes. https://open.substack.com/pub/hotbuttons/p/usaid-funds-billionaires?r=3m1bs&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
ILLUMINATING. Wow, thank you for sharing. It puts a different light on what we see and hear, which now I understand how out of context it is (and dismiss sometimes as fringey crazy stuff).